Diet for seniors – for weight loss and immunity |

In this article you will learn, among others:

• Diet for an elderly person – what to avoid and what is advisable?
• What is light digestibility and is it good for a senior in any form?
• Where to find ready-made solutions to eating problems?
• We will also provide an exemplary menu for a senior, aimed at building an improvement in immunity.

Remember that nutrition is one of the most important aspects of everyday life for people of all ages, not only in their XNUMXs and above. However, “the farther into the forest”, the more attention should be paid to aspects related to, for example, immunity – the last several months have provided a clear example of this.

Diet for an elderly person

The first problem with the elderly is the permanent lack of change. “Because I have already experienced mine, so I got used to it and when you are at my age, you will see what it is like” – this is the most common answer to an attempt to force through the variety that a senior’s menu should go through. Meanwhile, soup with cream, lard with cracklings and other, heavy animal fats reign, because “it has never caused any trouble!”

Exactly – the problem lies in the capabilities of our body, which with the passage of time has less and less opportunities to react immediately. Food processing is also slower, including through reduced production of saliva and digestive juices. A separate topic is intestinal peristalsis, which also slows down significantly. One of the factors is changes in the microflora in the large intestine, which in turn is responsible for the absorption of certain nutrients into the body.

The diet of a senior – there is no doubt – due to the inevitable changes that appear as a result of the passage of time, it should also undergo metamorphosis. It is difficult, because sometimes you have to give up your favorite flavors and standard “Sunday” dinner compositions. Sometimes some restrictions are enough, in other cases it will be a good solution to look for substitutes in taste.

Easily digestible, vegetarian or maybe gluten-free?

So what should the diet for a senior be like? The menu is definitely worth building on the basis of products that are not overburdening in terms of digestion. This means that you should take the term “easily digestible” to heart, often repeated in the past when treating various stomach ailments. Unfortunately, not every product of this type will perfectly fit into the proper nutrition of seniors, because in addition to the features related to digestive processes, it is necessary to ensure that the diet covers the body’s needs for vitamins and minerals, as well as dietary fiber, which prevents constipation.

Will a good solution be fashionable now gluten-free diet? No, a gluten-free diet is an indication for people suffering from celiac disease and there is no reason to introduce it based on age. However, it may be helpful to reach for interesting recipes from a vegetarian and fish diet – getting involved in preparing such meals does not have to be difficult, and the new flavor compositions will give you a lot of fun while discovering the pleasure of cooking and experimenting in the kitchen.

Diet for seniors for weight loss

Losing weight remains a separate issue. There are several obstacles here: with age, it becomes easier to get obesity caused by slow metabolism, it is also more difficult to lose excess body fat. The use of highly restrictive diets remains an inappropriate solution. The very common case of a complete loss of appetite is also undoubtedly a bad omen, which requires a lot of work to be brought into balance.

This is our diet for seniors – for slimming, i.e. an offer for people who are in good health and do not need to use medical menus:

Noodles poured on milk with banana Breakfast about 340 kcal

Flour, Egg, Milk, Banana, Sugar (a little).

Sandwich with cottage cheese paste, cucumber and radish 260nd breakfast about XNUMX kcal

Whole wheat bread, Lean cottage cheese, Natural yoghurt, Cucumber, Radish, Chives

Roasted chicken with potatoes, carrots, and broccoli Lunch about 400 kcal

Chicken breast meat, Potatoes, Carrots, Broccoli, Olive oil, Spices

Baked apple a la apple pie Tea around 160 kcal

Apple, Walnuts, Cinnamon, Raisins

Dinner approx. 230 calories Tomato soup with noodles

Parsley root, Carrots, Tomato concentrate, Water, Natural yoghurt, Whole grain pasta, Spices

A sample menu is taken from Tasty Matched diet, check the offer now at this link: https://.pl/dieta/online-5w1.

Menu for a senior

It is worth noting that the diet for an elderly person in many cases should be agreed with both a nutritionist and a doctor. Only a comprehensive examination of the body, e.g. for the development of diabetes or atherosclerosis, gives a relative view of the situation for a specialist. It is worth encouraging all seniors to such a solution. Nevertheless, you can prepare a list of universal tips on supplementing the most important minerals and vitamins:

• increased demand for VITAMIN D results from lower exposure to the sun and reduced synthesis of this vitamin in the skin; it is worth discussing the topic of supplementation and establishing a specific one with your doctor,

• increased need for vitamin B6 it results from the fact that some drugs impair the absorption of this vitamin; its sources are: whole grains (buckwheat, whole grain bread), potatoes, chicken, turkey, beef, pork, eggs, peppers, so it is worth focusing on their increased share in the diet,

• increased need for vitamin B2 (eggs, milk, broccoli, spinach, banana, buckwheat, oatmeal) and B12 (fish, meat, eggs, ripened cheese) as well Folic acid (spinach, parsley – both the root and leaves, yolk, broccoli, kale, peas) – may result from impaired absorption of these vitamins, 

• it is also worth taking care of an adequate supply antioxidant vitamins (A, E, C), which can be found in fresh fruit and vegetables, e.g. pepper, currant, strawberry, kiwi, broccoli (vitamin C), nuts, seeds, seeds, oils (vitamin E), fruits and vegetables – carrots, broccoli, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, liver, eggs, and vegetable margarines (vitamin A) are enriched with it.

• increased demand for CALCIUMwhich results from the impaired digestibility of this element, the deficiency of this element results in a loss in bone mass. Good sources of calcium are dairy products – milk, buttermilk, kefir, cottage cheese and yellow cheeses.

• SODIUM it should be borne in mind that the risk of hypertension increases with age, so it is worth not to add extra salt to the products.

Nutrition for seniors – what else should you remember?

Finally, a few more important information and interesting facts about problems and solutions in the context of what nutrition should look like for seniors.

• The problem of missing teeth. Although it may seem trivial from the perspective of young people, older people often reject valuable and tasty products because they are unable to chew on them. Therefore, constant care of a dentist and dental prosthetist is a very important matter. Cooking and grinding meals prepared from hard products will help here, for example, in the case of carrots, it will be more beneficial to cook it or wipe it through a sieve than to give up the hard product altogether.
• Savings “by force” or financial shortages. Unfortunately, in Poland, not every senior citizen can afford to take care of himself properly, even if the desire is very big. The reason is the lack of finances not only in terms of medical care, but also in terms of the purchase of suitable, better-quality food products. Therefore, everyone who is able to afford a diet for a senior should know the value of this opportunity and take advantage of it without hesitation – for their own health.
• Lack of awareness. The times of the Polish People’s Republic were not conducive to making many choices about what will be on the plate for a simple reason: there was nothing to choose from. The mentality of the elderly is in many cases very deeply rooted in those times and it must be understood, while not giving up education and trying to implement sensible innovations.
• You have to move! The Achilles’ heel of seniors is often lack of physical activity. Meanwhile, walks, trips outside the city, Nordic walking, visits to the swimming pool and in the salt cave – these are perfect examples for calendar entries for each subsequent week. Interestingly, a good solution can even be so fashionable in recent times walruses.

Diet for a senior is a complicated process in preparation (you have to take into account not only taste preferences and habits, but also specific diseases), but its implementation does not have to be the proverbial torment. Sometimes a little bit of good will is enough so that even less wealthy people can afford a proper menu for an elderly person. Nevertheless, it is always good to take up the challenge of changing your nutritional routine in order to feel better, healthier and have more strength to live as a result!